Saturday, October 08, 2005

For those who aren't afraid to laugh at themselves and others...especially others.

This is wrong on so many levels that I had to laugh at it. The cartoon was made by one Aron Johnston who used to be an expat in Kuwait. You can find more of his cartoons and some other observations concerning life in Kuwait here. Don't get too offended, he's a cartoonist, not a voice of authority on what's what in Kuwait.

(Correction: Turns out that the cartoon above was not made by Aron Johnston, but is part of the website that showcases Johnston's work. Go check them out, they're just as good, if not better than this one. Thanks Stinni!)

eclectic: Nicely said and I agree with you. Humor usually stems from us laughing at pain (either ours or someone elses).

mother courage: Ah well, everyone's a critic! Though I do appreciate him using humor to soften the blow. That's what cartoonists do; criticize in a funny way. I like that Kuwait made him creative, he'll never argue that!

I found your site through Kaleidoscope and wanted to tell you first off that I love your article on that site and am enjoying your blog.

I met Aron Johnson a few times while he lived here in Kuwait. He has since moved back to Texas. The cartoon you have taken and placed here on your site is not by Aron. His cartoons are published in two books and a calendar (copyrighted) and on the site you linked to on your blog. I didn't know the guy that well but knew that he was creative before coming here and he indeed liked living in Kuwait. He gave a speech one time at a gathering that had nearly everyone on the floor laughing. There were a few who were offended. The point is, he poked fun at everyone, even Texans and even himself.

stinni I'm glad you enjoyed it and thanks for telling me: I live on feedback.

As for Aron Jonston: I had an inkling that he did those cartoons out of fondness more than anything, but I can never tell how expats feel about Kuwait. It's one of the reasons this blog exists. I'm sorry I got this one wrong (I'll add an edit), his cartoons showcased on the website are no less brilliant. Don't hesitate to come back and give me the virtual smackdown on future inaccuracies ;)

mcarabian - I just wanted to clear it up because someone made the comment that he hated it here when in fact he liked living here and unlike a lot of expats, he didn't sit around and whine about how terrible it is here.

I'm an expat married to a Kuwaiti and when I first got here - I hated it. But I've evolved, and so has Kuwait (in some ways) and now I have two children who are 1/2 Kuwaiti and sometimes I can get hardcore on expats who talk smack about Kuwait! =)

stinniAlways good to have someone on our side. A lot of the Kuwaitis I know are painfully aware of Kuwait's faults; so the last thing they need is an expat pointing it out to them. That's why I have a special fondness for expats who look past these faults and manage to see what it is about Kuwait that we love so much. You're good people :)

I am Aron Johnston. I did my cartoons about Kuwait as I would make a cartoon about a very dear relative who can sometimes be difficult to like but easy love. I loved Kuwait. ALL of my work is G rated. I have not and will never do any work that uses cursing, or rude slang. My guidelines have always been "Would I mind if my mother read my work." As far as being "just a cartoonist" the enlighened literate person sees cartoon as illustrations of the conscience of the world. A good cartoonist is intouch with the zeitgeist and express the absoluted irony in which mankind has seemed to thrive. To be funny one has to push the envelope so to speak and in doing so there is a possiblity to step on toes at time. I never intended to hurt the feelings of any nationality.....other than the English who can cook, and well the French because they are French or any group other than white male American men from the South, (hey that's me....we are the last unprotected group in the world who anybody can take pot shot at.... and we don't even care.

I will steal a lyric from Jimmy Buffet. "Don't try to describe a KISS concert if you haven't really seen one..." More to the point don't allege anything about the intent behind my work.